As University of Wisconsin System students grapple with the realization that most of their classes will again be online this fall, many hold out hope for some form of tuition relief to offset what they see as an inferior learning experience.
UW-Madison student Brielle Schnowske enrolled in five courses this fall semester, two of which include a weekly face-to-face discussion. The rest of the incoming senior’s coursework will be online, which she described as the “right call” to limit the spread of COVID-19. But like most every college student, she wants a break in tuition because she said her online classes this spring were nowhere near the quality she experienced in her face-to-face classes.
“I think one of the biggest parts of college is obviously meeting people in class and engaging with others, but also being able to talk to the professor before or after lecture to ask questions,” she said. “I think that adds a lot to the experience, because otherwise I feel like I could have been doing online classes that are way cheaper somewhere else.”